The Relative Pronoun yang
Name and Nationality
Age
Family
Occupation
Religion
Weather
Time
Useful words and phrases
Asking Directions
Public Transportation
Accommodation
Sightseeing
Leisure Activities
Travel Tips
PART FIVE: Eating and Drinking
Basic Food Terms
Vegetables
Meat
Seafood
Cooking Terms
Breakfast
Common Menu Items
Condiments and Snacks
Fruits
Drinks
Taste
Notes on Hygiene
Bargaining
Souvenirs
Clothing
Sundries
PART SEVEN: Things You Should Know
Telephone
Post Office
Bank
Customs and Police
Filling Out Forms
Health and Illness
Parts of the Body
Appendix A: Verb and Noun Affixes
Appendix B: Suggestions for Further Study
English-Indonesian Dictionary
Indonesian-English Dictionary
Introduction
Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) is a relatively new spoken and written dialect of the Malay language, developed by Dutch scholars at the beginning of the 20th century as the standard or “correct” dialect to be taught in the colonial schools. It is an Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) tongue of amazing complexity, rich in vocabulary borrowed from Sanskrit, Arabic, Portuguese, Dutch, English, Chinese, Javanese, and many other languages.
A colloquial pasar or market form of the language has been in use as the lingua franca throughout the archipelago for several centuries, and is quite simple to learn. This book is intended for visitors who wish to gain a working knowledge of colloquial Indonesian. Most visitors will find that a little study of a few words and phrases goes a very long way, and that most Indonesians are very happy to help you learn the language.
The lessons are prioritized, with more important words and phrases being given first, so that you may profit no matter how deeply into the book you go. By studying the first section only, you acquire a basic “survival” Indonesian, and by mastering the first three sections you should be able to get around quite well on your own. In order to present each lesson clearly as a unit, we have found it necessary in some cases to repeat vocabulary.
I do not apologize for preferring colloquial to “standard” or “book” Indonesian here, as this is the common spoken form of the language, and therefore the most readily understood. Care has been taken to include only vocabulary that has immediate practical application for visitors. By learning vocabulary items and practising the phrases, you will quickly gain a grasp of the language’s basic elements. Rather than include long and tedious lists of words and phrases in the lessons themselves, we have appended at the back of the book a miniature bilingual dictionary that should be adequate for the needs of most tourists.
At the end of the book you will also find additional information on the use of verb and noun affixes, and suggestions for further study. Do not be deceived by the myth that “Indonesian has no grammar.” As one studies the language in greater depth, one realizes how complex it actually is. After several months or years, you may realize that while you are able to get by when speaking the language, it is as difficult as any other language to truly master. In fact the grammar, morphology, and syntax of the standard Indonesian taught in schools is as complex as any other language! While it is relatively easy to communicate at a very basic level in Indonesian, top-level proficiency requires dedication and effort.
Thomas G. Oey, Ph.D.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my brother Eric, who originally suggested that I write this book, made many valuable suggestions, and edited the final manuscript. I would also like to thank my parents, Tom and Berenice; my aunt and uncle in Java, Tante Inggawati and Om Sutantho; the employees of Java Books and Java Engineering, who read portions of the draft and suggested many improvements; and Sudarno Sumarto, who read the draft in its final stages.
DIALOG 1
